No one should have to live in fear that their that their name might become the next hashtag of agony, pain, and suffering.

On August 28, 1963, American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech during the march on Washington; he called for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights for Africans Americans.

Despite what MLK said that historic day, racism is still an issue today, 53 years later.

But since the summer of 2013, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been a controversial topic ever since the George Zimmerman trial for the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The Black Lives Matter movement was co-founded by three black community organizers; Alicia Garza, Patrisse Culburs, and Opal Tormeti.

As a result of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the idea of white supremacy comes into play. White supremacy is defined as the belief that white people are superior to those of all races, especially the black race, and therefore “dominate” society.

It is 2016, this shouldn’t be an issue. Too many people’s lives have been taken just because of the color of their skin. People like Alton Sterling, Trayvon Martin, Philandro Castile, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and many more who have become victims of police brutality.

The entire movement was founded because of the these unfounded killings. #BlackLivesMatter all began because of the struggles within the black community. In almost every area of society black Americans remain at a disadvantage.

Education? Forty-two percent of black children are educated in high poverty schools.

Employment? The unemployment rate for high-school dropouts is 47% (for white high-school dropouts it is 26%)

Housing? Although black people make up only 12.3 percent of the US population, (according to a census done in 2013) they account for 37%of the homeless.

Voting rights? One in every 13 Africans of voting age is disenfranchised because of felony convictions – a rate more than four times greater than the rest of the US population. In fact, African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million jail population and are incarcerated nearly six times more often than white people.

As human beings, we have our faults , our own views, beliefs, and our own standpoint of what is right and wrong.

#BlackLivesMatter is giving a voice to the voiceless; standing up for whats right and fighting for equality.

Black Lives Matter is a movement, not a gang. A movement. Black Lives Matter does not mean that other lives don’t matter. It means that specifically black lives are being suppressed.